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Review + Giveaway: Scream

This is my stop for the third book the Lakeview series by Stacey R. Campbell. This is a young adult mystery series. The tour runs August 3-14 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check earlier posts this week for my reviews of the previous books in the series, and the tour schedule for all the other good stuff going on.

It’s Halle Henry’s final year at Lakeview Academy, and she is determined to make it her best year yet. But when drugs are discovered in her boyfriend Alex’s backpack and he is expelled, Halle’s life spins out of control.

Refusing to believe the accusations against him, Halle vows to get to the bottom of what really happened and bring Alex back to campus so they can graduate together.

Now, all Halle has to do is save her boyfriend, solve a murder, graduate from high school, and keep from getting killed in the process.

***** Review *****

The Skinny

This is the final book (so far?) and wraps up Halle’s senior year at Lakeview. Halle and Alex have been dating for a couple years now, and she and Izzy have stayed roommates through all their time at Lakeview. The winter term has ended and the new terms starts off on an odd note before the three even make it back to the campus. Alex swears he witnesses a strange interaction between two men on the ferry that no one else saw. Then back at school drugs are found in Alex’s belongings and he is expelled from Lakeview. Halle starts losing it. She is convinced his very weird roommate was behind it, but quickly discovers there’s a bigger plot at hand at Lakeview Academy after she relentlessly starts digging. She is determined to bring Alex back to campus. Along the way she enlists the help of the one person she knows she can trust who has the exact same goal that she does.

The Players

Halle – a senior at Lakeview; lives in Campbell house; dates Alex; is roommate’s with his twin sister, Izzy; is relentless and stubborn

Ramon & Lola – Lakeview’s school cooks; at the center of Halle’s investigations

First Impressions

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this last book. I was sad that it was the last installment in the series (although I hope there are more) and had no idea where the storyline was coming from but I expected it to be good.

Second Thoughts

This is the most exciting of all the books! Campbell’s writing and craft has definitely improved from the first book. Even though this is a series, the books can be read as standalones and I highly recommend this third book to any and everyone.

The relationships in this book make up an interesting dynamic. They are different than they were in the second book, and the main focus is on Halle, Alex and their roommates Izzy and Wyatt. I was kind of sad to see the rest of the gang not pop up in the book, but they had already graduated.

Halle and Alex have such an incredibly sweet and playful romance. They support one another, but are also very wrapped up in one another. Halle struggles an incredible deal after Alex is expelled, but it also speaks to the depth of her loyalty and her refusalstubborness dedication to set things right.

Izzy and Halle have an interesting relationship being roommates and best friends, but also for the fact that Halle is dating Izzy’s twin. Izzy is very much part of the gossip mill at Lakeview, but she is Halle’s friend and refuses to believe the rumors flying around about her. Halle and Alex have to not cross a certain line that would impair Halle’s friendship with Izzy or cause issue between the siblings.

“Now she’s going to tell me how mean we were all night. I’ll never get to bed. You know how much she likes him.”

“So what, she interrupted us,” Alex protested.

“She’s your sister.”

“I know. That’s why it’s so fun to tease her when she gets like this.”

Halle tried to suppress her grin. “You’re such a jerk.”

Alex’s brows rose. “Really? You want to come over here and say that to my face?”

“Yeah, maybe I do.”

Alex cupped Halle’s chin, pulling her lips to his.

There is no love lost between Halle and Alex’s roommate, Wyatt. Until Halle thinks he’s the only one that can help her figure out who is framing Alex and why. They have to be careful that wind does not get back to Alex, or he’ll have both of their heads. After realizing the implications of the danger they are indeed in, he demands Halle stop her investigations.

Speaking of Wyatt, he starts hanging around with Halle’s Lakeview nemesis. You know, growing up we all had one. That person that we can’t stand and just rubs the entirely wrong way. Well, that’s Missy. They have had evil eyes for each other since grade 8, and now Missy thinks she is ruling supreme with her taunts and rumors after Alex is kicked out. She is definitely an annoying character, but there’s the thing: the entire time I was reading, no matter where she’d pop up, anytime she had dialogue I automatically heard it in one particular accent. She annoyed even me, and I thought she was quite stupid to just be popping off at the mouth like that, so anytime she spoke I heard it in my mind as a Jersey Shores dialect, which I then thought was kind of funny because I could picture it so easily.

My favorite scenes were the ones where Halle and Wyatt make riddle out the issues surrounding Alex’s expulsion and make their plans, especially when they sneak off campus through the woods the first time.

Wyatt and Halle bloom into fast friends after coming to a truce and consensus regarding their one mutual goal: getting Alex back on campus. Alex is the one person whom Wyatt can confide in, and this reason alone is what starts the basis of Wyatt and Halle’s friendship.

I’m not sure if there will be any more books in the series, given that both Henry girls have graduated Lakeview Academy and Halle’s plan is to attend St. Andrews in Europe, but the ending was enlightening for me about the potential for spin-off series and an entirely new relationship. 😉

***** About the Author *****

Stacey R. Campbell lives in the San Juan Islands with her husband and three daughters. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and a dyslexic writer that believes there is no such thing as a bad reader. She is the author of the young adult novels Hush, Whisper, Silence & Scream and the highly acclaimed middle grade swashbuckling Pirate book ARRGH!

When not at her desk writing she can be found hiking, sailing, or skiing. She enjoys chocolate in any shape or size, too many cups of coffee and laughing (often too loudly as her daughters say) with her friends and family.

Stacey is available for classroom visits via Skype and loves working with writers and readers of any age; especially those with learning disabilities like her own.

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